Morning Joes

NFL organized team activities (yes, that's what OTA stands for—not offseason training actions—which they are—or over-technical assessments—which may happen--or overtly tubular algorithms—which won't, since we don't think they are a thing) began this week. The Vikings players assembled at TCO Performance to reacquaint with each other and get to know the new faces while trying to orient to the Purple way of life.

Minnesota was the epicenter of the NFL this week! Why? Did the Vikings win the Super Bowl or secure the first overall pick of the next NFL Draft? No, neither of those things happened. Rather, Minneapolis hosted the NFL Meetings this week in which the owners voted on a few issues.

The state of Minnesota experienced temperatures north of 90 degrees this past week, so that must mean it is the dead days of August and training camp begins, right? Well, not exactly. It is May and has been unseasonably warm and the Vikings have assembled—but it's just the rookies and their minicamp at TCO Performance Center. Still, the new football year has begun. We haven't had too many headlines yet as the Rookie Minicamp is just a way for the newbies to come to town, meet their prospective teammates and Vikings staff and get oriented to the way Minnesota does things. There are a few tidbits that have surfaced—such as undrafted rookie CB Zemaiah Vaughn picking off undrafted QB Max Brosmer along the sidelines and rookie linebacker Kobe King making another pick. But we aren't yet hanging any banners nor making any proclamations about who will be Mr. Eagan (nee Mankato). Still, we will talk about it. The fellas at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast—Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com—are here to report from minicamp with stories of who stepped up, who stood out or who said something interesting (or, perhaps, out of the ordinary). Plus, we'll cover all the latest news of the Purple. Tune into the podcast and catch it all. Skol!

The NFL sent an email explaining that the schedule release is “almost here!” Not that it was released, but that it is almost released. (It's almost like the email saying the Draft was almost here.) You can register and “be the first to know when the 2025-26 schedule drops.” Well, this NFL observer is all atwitter.

With an eye toward protecting their sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings put a major emphasis on the offensive line during free agency (Matt Fries and Ryab Kelly) and continued that with the Jackson pick. There will likely be a competition at left guard, but the versatile and intelligent Jackson could step in and start and solidify a formerly middling line.

But the NFL Draft is a crapshoot. A first overall pick can get the call from the Hall (Peyton Manning, 1998) or flame out in epic fashion (JaMarcus Russell, 2007). Then again, Tom Brady can go in the sixth round and become the best QB ever to play, or Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, can take a team to the Super Bowl and have folk rethinking that moniker for the last person taken in the draft.

Will the Vikings, who have only four picks (plus a compensatory pick) in the draft stay put at 24 and select a player who can impact the 2025 season, or will they trade down, as been general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah's MO in the past, and acquire more picks to fill out the draft class.

One of the most persistent Purple queries this offseason is who will start at QB and who will be his backup.

The Vikings have other needs that they could address in free agency (or in the NFL Draft), but what are those needs and who is left to grab? The fellas at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast—Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com—are on hand to dissect and discuss all that. In addition, they will take on some of the new rule change proposals proffered at the NFL Winter meetings. Some good news and some bad news there—so tune in and check it out. Skol!

The Free Agency ride continues for Vikings GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and the Purple. After a huge opening salvo in FA, the Vikings were on the move again last weekend. Kwesi had a busy first week of FA, when he made some big signings to the offensive and defensive lines, and finished up the week by making two big trades to help the Purple.

The Vikings (along with the 31 other NFL teams) launched headlong into the legal tampering portion of free agency and boy did they tamper. When it looked like the Vikings were going to sit out Day 1 on the sidelines, suddenly things started cracking the morning of Day 2. Their biggest Day 1 headlines were the loss of quarterback Sam Darnold to Seattle and the resigning of running back Aaron Jones—but Day 2 in the morning resulted in the signings of DT Jonathan Allen, Colts guard Will Fries and Niners DT Javon Hargrave.

Thus begins in earnest the Vikings' QB questions, regarding what to do with Sam, do you bring back Daniel Jones and is JJ McCarthy physically ready to become the new starting signal caller.

Do the Vikings tag Darnold (which would cost them approximately $40 million dollars in that tagged season? Do they begin negotiations on a multiyear Darnold contract (which would likely start around $40 million mark)?

The 2024-25 NFL season came to a crashing climax (at least for the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs who were hoping for a three-peat), as the Philadelphia Eagles (whose fans may have made things come crashing down after the game) walloped KC in a good old-fashioned blowout of a Super Bowl. The final score was 40-22 and it did not fully represent just how one-sided this game was (until the stalwart Philly defense that made cream cheese out of the Kansas City offensive line let up on the gas). Patrick Mahomes looked lost, Travis Kelce was irrelevant, the Chiefs dynasty crumbled and a new dynasty appeared to be born before our eyes. The Eagles are world champs.

We have a Bowl MVP in Purple! Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr., had two interceptions in the Pro Bowl (including one of them for a pick six), which helped the NFC hold off the AFC in the annual Pro Bowl competition. So, does Murphy have a Pro Bowl MVP clause in his contract? Does he need one? Regardless, if nothing else happened on Sunday, perhaps a few more general managers around the league know a little bit more about him when he hits the free agent. Then again, it's flag football, so perhaps not.

It has begun. Like moving pieces on a chess board, the personnel around the NFL is headlong into the second week of transition while the final two teams are prepping for the big game. The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will return to the Super Bowl and will try to defeat the NFC champ Philadelphia Eagles to earn the first three-peat in NFL history during the Super Bowl era.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said last week that he will be focusing on the interior offense line during the offseason—in an attempt to better protect whoever becomes the team's signal caller next year and give the running backs more room to roam between the tackles. The offensive line may be the first place the Vikings look to begin building back for the 2026 season (although they did re-sign defensive lineman Jalen Redmond earlier this week), but there are plenty of other personnel units to examine as the go forward: quarterback, secondary and defensive line among them).

After most professional sporting event, participants need and are granted a cooling off period before the media is allowed to enter the locker room and interview them. It's because emotions are raw and the players need some time to collect themselves before talking to the media/public. Well, following the Vikings lost to the Los Angele Rams in the Wild Card playoff game 27-9 last Monday night, Purple Nation needed a cooling off period before looking forward to next season . . . again. And the writer of this piece counts himself among them.

It could have been different. The Vikings made several marches into the Red Zone, but they came away empty-handed after two failed fourth down conversions that put them behind the 8-ball of the near-best offense in the league. It was still a game early into the third quarter despite the conversion problems (the Vikings 3-for-16 in 3rd- and 4th-down conversions), but the Vikings' lack of finishing drives caught up with them and the Lions ran away with it.

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, and as is their fashion, they turned a dominating performance into a stomach-churning, nail-biting, last-minute win to keep pace with Detroit Lions atop the NFC North division. At 14-2, the Vikings now must beat the Lions next week at Ford Field and they will become the top seed in the NFC and have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But it almost didn't happen.

If (at the season's start) you didn't have the Vikings at 13-2 on your wish list when Santa comes calling, it's okay, nobody did, but we all got it anyway. The Vikings travelled to Seattle and outlasted the Seahawks 30-27 in a hard-fought (sometimes ugly) game on Sunday afternoon. The win keeps the Purple in a tie with the Detroit Lions atop the NFC North Division with two games remaining, and they pulled ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles (who lost to Washington) in the race for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Let's go!

There was a white-out in Minnesota on Monday, but it was inside U.S. Bank Stadium rather than out. And it turned into a blowout, as the Vikings hammered the visiting Chicago Bears with a sluggish but ultimately dominating 30-12 performance. It was always pretty, but in the end, the Vikings, newly minted 2024 playoff participants, handled Caleb Williams and the Bears and took care of business pulling into a tie atop the NFC North with the Detroit Lions.

When the clock started ticking for the fourth quarter in Sunday's Vikings game versus the visiting Atlanta Falcons, Vikings fans were likely nervous as Kirk Cousins, returning to his former home, had pulled his new squad into a 21-21 tie at the end of the third. But the Vikings offense, thanks to the Purple passing game (which had been great all day), put up three scores to run away from Kirko Chainz and his charges on the way to a Vikings 42-21 victory. The win, their sixth straight, put the Vikings at 11-2 on the season, still in second place in the NFC North Division but on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth.

The Minnesota Vikings, the league's newest Cardiac Kids, beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22 in the last minute at U.S. Bank Stadium. In a game in which the Vikings did not lead until those last minutes, the defense made the plays to secure the win versus a decent Cardinals squad. Now at 10-2 and remaining tied for the third-best record in the league—the Vikings are moving closer to a coveted postseason spot.

The Minnesota Vikings went to weird and wacky Solider Field and eked out a quirky 30-27 victory over the Chicago Bears to improve to 9-2. It was pretty at times and ugly late, but that's the way of the Vikings in Chicago. They now have five wins in a row at Soldier Field and are coming off a 3-0 road trip, which is a nice bit of momentum for this squad embarking on a three-game homestand to position themselves for the playoffs. 

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings beat the hapless Titans in Tennessee 23-13. They didn't dominate, although they could have, but it puts them at 8-2 and still one-game behind the Lions in the NFC North. That's the good news. The bad news is a leaky secondary suddenly susceptible to the long ball; a defense benefited greatly by some questionable calls by the refs, the cupcakes on the schedule are done and the Vikes must next travel to Soldier Field, where strange things happen.

The final score in Jacksonville on Sunday resulted in a 12-7 Minnesota Vikings win over the Jaguars—but that in no way describes how it got there. The Vikings adopted a local strategy as age-old as their purple uniforms: play down to your opponent. They had the highest time of possession of any team this season and put together multiple double-digit-play drives but didn't score a touchdown—because they turned the ball over three times. You shouldn't be able to win that way in the NFL, but the Vikings were fortunately playing the lowly Jags.

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Indianapolis Colts 21-13 at USA Bank Stadium to improve to 6-2 and a game behind the Lions in the NFC North. That's what the agate type in the paper will tell you. But the reality was the defense once again led the team to victory while the offense spent some time shooting themselves in the foot. The offense eventually put up 21 points in the second half, but three turnovers on the game could have spelled disaster.

As great as the opening quarter of the season was for Minnesota, the second quarter has been equally bad. The Vikings can play in the first quarter of games, but soon after that things begin to unravel. Add to that a season-ending knee injury to their best offensive lineman, Christian Darrisaw, and the Vikings' trip to LA was anything but sunny. They may have come into the softest part of their schedule, but the Purple appear to be playing their softest football of the season. Things need to change quickly.

The Vikings' perfect season has ended, but it is far from over. The Detroit Lions came to town and put together four consecutive scoring drives in the middle quarters, and that put the Vikings behind the 8-ball. They did battle and retake the lead in the fourth quarter with a scoop and score by Ivan Pace, but the offense didn't hold up their end of the deal by getting a couple first downs late and the Lions win with a field goal.

The Vikings can separate themselves a bit from all NFC North challengers with a home win over the Lions and help to put away all the doubt that creeps in for Vikings fans when watching their favorite team in the second halves of games this season. The Vikings start fast and struggle out of the locker room in the second half and then hang on to win . . .  every time. That last fact of being undefeated is great, but the route taken there is slightly unnerving.

The Vikings did it again! Yes, they beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau by a score 31-29 to remain unbeaten at 4-and-0 and alone atop the NFC North Division. But what seemed like déjà vu' all over again was they made it difficult. The Vikings busted out to a very dominating 28-0 lead before muffing a punt, giving up a touchdown and ultimately scrambling to the finish line. We have seen this in the past (and to be honest maybe feared it happening again on Sunday), but at least the Vikings won the game and kept their record unblemished. Sam Darnold had another very good performance, throwing three touchdown passes. Jordan Addison returned from injury and celebrated by scoring touchdowns as a rushing and a receiver and the defense played lights out (for three quarters, anyway). In the final minute, the Packers were a recovered onside kick away from breaking the Vikings' and their fans' hearts (letting them know what it might feel like to be on the other side of an epic comeback like their 2022 comeback against the Indianapolis Colts). In the final analysis, the Vikings turned a potential laugher into a nail biter, and we were reminded that nothing is ever for certain in the NFL. There was a lot to be pleased about in this game (another decent performance from Aaron Jones in his former home field, four turnovers by the Vikings defense and the team's depth showcased in players such as Kamu Grugier-Hill, who had his second interception in two games). But there were also some things to “fix,” as they say. The Vikings committed two turnovers of their own (a pick and fumble by Darnold—though the interception should have been overturned by replay), giving up 465 yards of offense to the Packers and a questionable call to go for it and end the game rather than kick a gimme field goal. These issues certainly merit some discussion.

The Vikings are for real . . . and their defense is lights out. They hosted Vikings-South, the Houston Texans—and were anything but hospitable, dominating them to the tune of 34-7. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw four touchdown passes (for the second time in his career, first time without an interception) and the Vikings defense confused Texans QB C.J. Stroud throughout, leading to three sacks and two picks. By the time this one was done, the previously undefeated Texans were handed their first loss of the season in dominating fashion.

kings weren't flawless (two turnovers of their own, plus giving up 399 yards on defense), but they beat a very good Niners team, which should turn the heads of those who maintained that all they did last week was beat the lowly New York Giants. While that is true, the perception on this team is chanding. Lead by a much-improved defense, and a revitalized Sam Darnold under center, the Vikings are becoming a team to be reckoned with in the NFC North.

The Vikings opened up the 2024 season with a very decisive 28-6 win over the New York Giants on the road. All the questions were answered—at least for this week—but more questions are on the way. Quarterback Sam Darnold had one of the best games of his career (opening the game with 12-consecutive completions for his first time as a pro) and throwing two great touchdown passes. He looked better than his career reputation would have us believe, and so Vikings fans can get excited about the season going forward . . . at least until next week.

Oh, and if you like a little spice in your podcast, tune into this one as Craig talks about his Star Tribune piece on former head coach Mike Zimmer that has everyone else talking. There was plenty of buckshot in the story and even more on the VT podcast when he talks about it. Skol!

Speaking of that roster, the Vikings completed their cutdowns on Tuesday to get to that magic number of 53, but their work is not done.

After a week of practices together (in which the home team Cleveland Browns had their way with the visiting Minnesota Vikings), the Vikes and Brownies met in a preseason game over the weekend. And Minnesota turned the tables on their hosts, beating Cleveland 27-12. Despite only one starter on the field (Vikings right Guard Ed Ingram), there were some bright spots worth mentioning (something that isn't worth mentioning is that Vikes head coach Kevin O'Connell now has a two-game winning streak in preseason games).

The Vikings are in Cleveland for joint practices with the Browns and made other news to discuss—Jordan Addison injury, the Andrew Booth trade and other acquisitions—and we've got you covered.

Justin Jefferson once worked a fake hamstring pull into his TD celebration known as The Griddy. Then last season he actually pulled one and missed half the season. It is not good to tempt fate, so it seems, if you consider karma a thing. And now Jefferson appears to recognize that he is working this offseason on trying to prevent another.

Another day, another day cornerback issue for the Minnesota. CB Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL on the first day of practice and is out for the season. Couple that with the death of rookie CB Khyree Jackson and a leg injury to offseason acquisition Shaq Griffin and the Vikings are suddenly scrambling to piece together a starting secondary come September.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell met the media Monday afternoon for their first press conference of the team's 2024 Training Camp at TCO Performance Center, and the mood was slightly somber. They addressed the tragic passing of rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson, laying out how the team will honor him in the coming season.

The dog days of summer are upon us, and for the Vikings that means idle time before their Training Camp starts and the real work begins for the 2024 season. Unfortunately, that is not always good news for the Vikings players, who have a history of not spending their idle time wisely. Which leads us to the troubling case of Vikings' second-year wideout Jordan Addison, who was found asleep at the wheel (both literally and figuratively) this past weekend.

The Vikings received the worst of news over the holiday weekend, when they learned that rookie draft pick Khyree Jackson was killed in a tragic automobile accident on July 6. The news hit hard and quickly reverberated throughout the team and its fans base, as the young 24-year-old cornerback lost his life when so much of it (and filled with so much promise) was right in front of him. We send out deepest sympathies and condolences to Khyree's family and to the families of the two people who tragically died in the accident.

It happened. No, Justin Jefferson, wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, was not traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers (although the Steelers enquired to his availability). No, JJ wasn't traded to the Los Angeles Chargers on draft day in order for the Vikings to move up and select WR Malik Nabers (although a trade on draft day did involve JJ, but that was the Vikings trading up a spot to land Michigan QB JJ McCarthy). No, what happened, in fact, was that Justin Jefferson (who goes by Jet rather than JJ) signed a contract extension to make him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. That happened. As many (decreasingly fewer as time went along) had said it would.

The Vikings have a new quarterback. Well, they actually a couple of them: Sam Darnold picked up in free agency and J.J. McCarthy drafted 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But you knew that. What's new is that those QBs have been out at TCO Performance Center practicing with their new team, and one of them, Darnold, the presumptive opening day starter, spoke to the media. So, what did the new Purple signal caller have to say?

The Vikings finished in third place in the NFC North division in 2024, so they won't find themselves playing in lot of primetime or nationally televised games this season. There are roster changes and camp position battle to discuss this week and the fellas from Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are on hand to do it. So, tune in to the VT Breakdown and check it out.

J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings selected 10th overall in the first round of April's NFL draft, threw some passes, threw an interception and later ran some gassers because he lost a bet to the new defenders in camp. McCarthy later talked with the media and showed a poise and calmness beyond his years, even garnering praise from his head coach Kevin O'Connell for his attitude, which included McCarthy being out on the field before anyone else working through plays he had just learned. That's certainly a good sign for this young player who is reportedly a “process guy” willing to put in the work.

Purple Nation is indeed excited about McCarthy, excited about the draft and excited about the team that Kwesi and Company have assembled for the start of offseason team activities. There are strengths and weaknesses to the roster, for sure, but plenty to like and even more to discuss. And that's what the fellas from Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast

Vikings fans anticipating the high stakes in their team's 2024 NFL Draft were rewarded with an unexpected dose of trade excitement on Day 1. General manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah did get his quarterback to replace (eventually) the departed Kirk Cousins and followed it up with a highly-touted edge rusher to replace Danielle Hunter, who's “Gone to Texas.” He did not achieve this first-round booty without expending several draft picks, but he did it without sacrificing any future number one picks. Vikings fans can decide whether it was too much capital or that the picks were worth the deals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.